Air-cleaner



J. W. LIVERMORE.

AIR CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-17,1919.

1,363,331. Patented D60. 28,1920.

INVENTOR.

John l l fLiI/rrmore BY &

2 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN w. mvnm/ronn, or rnnsno, CALIFORNIA, nssrGN 0F QNFFHALF To LISENBYMANUFACTURING COMPANY, or FRESNO, camrormm.

AIR-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 17, 1919. Serial No. 338,505.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN W. LIVERMORE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Fresno, county of Fresno,State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Air-Cleaners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which forma part of this appl1cat1on.

This invention relates to improvements in air cleaners such as are usedin connection with the carbureters of gas engines, part cularly thoseemployed on tractors and the llke, to insure a clean supply of air tothe carbureter. 1

The conditions under which tractors and similar farm machines work issuch, especially in the dry summer months, that the air surrounding themachine is very apt to be full of dust, particles of straw, and otherforeign matter, which, if drawn lnto the carbureter and thence into theengine in that condition, will in time cause serious trouble. Theprincipal object of my inventlon therefore, is to produce, an aircleaner for the purpose so constructed that while the majority offoreign matter will be kept from entering the cleaner itself along withthe air, what dirt etc. does get into the cleaner will be positivelyheld therein, and the air will be drawn thence into the carburetor in aperfectly clean and washed state.

Another object of the invention is to construct a cleaner in such asimple manner that r the interior may be readily inspected and the dirt,etc., removed therefrom when necessary without disconnecting the cleanerfrom the carburetor.

A further object of the invention 1s to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice, and yet one which will be exceedingly eifective for the purposesfor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the partitionedlid portion of mycleaner.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the lower, or

box portion thereof on which the lid fits.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through thecleaner, showing the partsassembled in 1g. is an en arged fra mentar section of the bottom of theair inta lie of the cleaner, showing the formation of the air slitstherein.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a rectangular box or receptacle,preferably of galvanized sheet metal, as are all the parts wherepossible.

The top of the box is provided with a contlnuous horizontal flange 2. Atone end, which we may term the intake end of the box, is a relativelysmall compartment 3 extendlng transversely of the box, .the divid- 1ngwall 3 between the box and the compartment belng lower than the level ofthe flange 2.

Inthis box is adapted to snugly fit an opentopped tank 4, extending fromthe intake end to about two thirds of the length of the box, and beingheld in lengthwise position therein by means of guides 5 secured in thebox.

The sides of this tank terminate short of the level of the flanges onthe box, being of the same height as the wall 3. A partition 6 ispositioned centrally in the tank transversely thereof, and is the sameheight thereas. Small ring handles 7 are fitted at each end of the tank,so that it may be readily removed by hand when desired.

A plug 8 is screwed into the bottom of the box beyond that portionoccupied by the tank.

A flat cover 9 is adapted to be secured over the box onto the flanges 2thereof by means of easily removable wing-nut screws 10, and beingprovided with handles 11 to allow of its being lifted off.-

The-bottom of the member 3 is provided with slits 14 throughout itsarea, these slits being punched from the interior outwardly as shown at15, so that the metal projecting downwardly therefrom will eifectivelyaid in holding back any large particles of foreign matter being suckedthereinto with the air.

Transverse partitions, 16 depend from the cover 9,-and terminate shortof the bottom of the tank and box. Two of these partitions projectcentrally of the compartments of the tank, while the other one 16 prothecloser to the carbureter jects a short distance beyond the end of thetank. partitions 16 insure their fitting snugly against the sides of thetank. The partition '16 is provided with a bottom 18 s aced from thebottom of the box and tting closely over the entire area of that portionof the box beyond the said partition unoccupied by the tank 4. Thebottom member 18 is provided with side members 19 secured to thepartition 16 and with braces 20 extending to the cover 9, to givestrength and rigidity thereto. The bottom member 18 is provided with aplurality of very narrow slits 21 over its entire area, these beingformed in the same manner as those in the bottom of the compartment 11.

A shorttubular member 22 projects hori- Flanges 17 on the side edges ofthe zontally from the box at this end at a point adjacent its upperedge, and is adapted to fit over the air intake of a carburetor or intoa hose leading to the same, communicat-- ing of course with the interiorof the box 1 at that point;

1 In the installation and operation of the device, the box 1 is to besecurely mounted on the engine at any suitable place, of course better,and so that the cover 9 may be lifted vertically therefrom withoutdisturbing the box or any parts of the engine. 1

The tank is then filled about half full of kerosene, water many similarliquid. I preferably specify kerosene, since this liquid has the effectof drying the air besides cleansing the same. Ifunoist air is preferred,water may be used.

When the cover is secured in position, and the engine is operating, theair will be sucked from the outside first into'the chamber 33. The slits14, as stated, prevent any large particles of solid matter from enteringthe compartment. From that point the air is drawn into the firstcompartment of the tank, where it 'must' pass through the liquid inorder to pass under the partition 16, which is of course submerged.

The airthen rises-through theliquid, over the partition in the tank,.and then through the liquid in the other compartment, to pass under thecover partition in that one. From this compartment the air.

then travels between the end of the tank and the partition 16, when itmust then pass through the slits 21 in the bottom member 18 before itcan reach the tube 22 communicating with the carbureter.

the liquid with the force of the air suction,

they will be caught by the slits in the mem-.

ber 18, and the air will thus be delivered to the carbureter perfectlycleaned.

lVhen the device needs cleaning, the cover is removed, the tank emptiedand replenished, and any foreign matter then remaining in the box blownout through the plug hole 8.

i From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfils the object of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as to not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An air cleaner comprising aninclosed receptacle adapted at one end to communi cate with'the airintake of a carbureter, an air intake compartment outside the receptacleand communicating therewith at the top, and a plurality of narrow slitsin the bottom of the intake compartment, these slits being punchedoutwardly from the interior to leave the metal edges thereofprojecting-downwardly to catch any relatively large particles of foreignmatter in the air being drawn into the compartment.-

2. An air cleaner comprising an inclosed verse partitions secured to thetank and receptacle suitably spaced apart and alternately terminatingshort of the top of the box and the bottom of the tank respectively, thelatter being always below the level of the liquid.

3. An air cleaner comprising an open topped box adapted to communicatewith the air intake'of a carbureter, an air intake compartment on saidbox at the end thereof opposite ,to its connection with the carbureter,and communicating with the box at the top of such end, a removable opentopped tank in the box adapted to be partially filled with a liquid, atransverse central partition the tank, a removable cover on the box. andtransverse partitions on the cover projecting into the tankfittingsnugly against the sides and terminating short of the bottom thereof.the tank likewise terminating short of the cover.-

4. An air cleaner comprising an inclosed receptacle adapted at one endto communicate with the air intake of a earbureter, a

tank partially filled with liquid in the receptacle, an air intakecommunicating with the receptacle at the top of the end thereofopposite-to its connection with the carburete'r, and cooperatingpartitions in the receptacle and tank whereby the air'"-w1ll be forcedto pass throughthe liquid in each compartment of the tank before beingdrawn into the carbureter.

5. An air cleaner comprising an inclosed receptacle adapted at one endto communicate with the air intake of a carbureter, a tank partiallyfilled with liquid in the receptacle, an air intake communicatin withthe receptacle at the top of the end thereof opposite to its connectionwith the carbureter, means for forcing the air drawn through the intaketo pass through the liquid a plurality .of times, a horizontal slittedbottom partition in the receptacle beyond the tank through which the airfrom the tank must rise, the slits being punched through to the underside whereby projecting metal edges will be formed to catch any foreignmatter still remaining in the air, said foreign matter falling to thefloor of the receptacle when the suction ceases, and

' means for then removing such refuse without disturbing the receptacle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 30 in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN W. LIVEBMORE.

Witnesses:

M. E, HINDLE, GUSTAVE E. LUNDIE.

